A former officer with the New York Police Department pleaded guilty in Manhattan on Wednesday to sending sexual and inappropriate messages to women who were victims of a crime and for having sex with another woman shortly after he arrested her.
The former officer, Matthew Lambert, pleaded guilty to three counts of official misconduct and to one count of receiving unlawful gratuities, both misdemeanors. He was sentenced to two years probation, 100 hours of community service and counseling.
Mr. Lambert, 33, joined the Police Department in 2014 and resigned in December. As part of his guilty plea, he agreed to not seek a police officer job in New York State. Mr. Lambert’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement, Alvin L. Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, said Mr. Lambert’s actions were “not how anyone should be treated — whether a victim, witness, or person accused of a crime.”
“This behavior significantly damages faith in the criminal justice system and discourages people from coming forward to report crimes, which harms public safety,” Mr. Bragg said.
Mr. Lambert’s actions spanned several months in 2024, according to prosecutors. At the time, he was assigned to the 13th Precinct’s detective squad, which investigates crimes in a southern portion of Midtown Manhattan.
In March 2024, Mr. Lambert was assigned to investigate a missing package, according to a plea agreement, but over the course of several months, he sent inappropriate text messages from his department-issued phone to the woman who reported the theft.
In one message, Mr. Lambert wrote: “Celebration drinks when this is over?” and “If you say no, I’m still gonna work hard on your case. I promise.” In another, he told the woman that he was “just nervous to ask you out because of the circumstances lol,” adding “like me being in charge of your case.”
At other points, Mr. Lambert texted the woman that he is also taken, that he will “always keep it professional,” and “you don’t owe me anything at all.”
“Just doing my duty lol,” he texted her.
Eventually, the woman blocked him.
Also in March 2024, Mr. Lambert was assigned to investigate an assault. He began texting the assault victim messages, telling her she was “beautiful” and “I was shocked when I met you.”
“How do you get your teeth so white,” he asked in one text.
In May of that year, while processing a woman he arrested for petty larceny, Mr. Lambert told her that he could probably get her a desk appearance ticket or released from custody to avoid being held in central booking until she was arraigned. He also showed the woman a photograph of his naked and erect penis, prosecutors said.
About two hours later, Mr. Lambert issued the woman a desk appearance ticket, which ordered her to return to court at a later date. As he walked her out of the precinct, prosecutors said Mr. Lambert told her: “I told you I was going to get you out.”
Within minutes, Mr. Lambert began texting her, asking if he should “come say hello.”
That same night, Mr. Lambert saved explicit pictures of the woman on his work phone and texted her: “I’m surprised you sent me all that.”
Shortly after midnight, Mr. Lambert arrived at the woman’s residence in Manhattan, and they had sex in his car, according to court documents.
“You’re so cool,” he later texted the woman. “Thanks for hanging out.”
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